Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for controlling an airbag module.
Description of the Background Art
Motor vehicles equipped with safety systems, for example airbag modules, are known from the prior art. The airbag modules serve to minimize injuries to occupants in the event of an accident of the motor vehicle.
However, should it be the case that the occupant is located near the exit of the airbag module, there is a risk that the airbag module itself will injure the occupant. In this context, studies have shown that it is children in particular which can be injured severely by an airbag module. One study by the ADAC, for example, has found that small children sitting in an infant seat sustain presumably serious head and neck injuries caused by the passenger airbag. This is in fact only because of the force of impact of the airbag module. Even a minor accident, at low speed, can lead to grave or fatal injuries. The ADAC study furthermore found that bigger children that sit too close to the dashboard are struck by the deploying airbag. This can result in broken bones, grazes and burns. Even more severe injuries can occur if the legs of the child are located in the deployment area of the airbag module.
In order to avoid these cases, various solutions are already known from the prior art. For example, it is known to switch off the airbag module in various driving situations.
DE 197 24 344 C1, which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,693, discloses that a manually operable switch with at least one switch position is provided in a motor vehicle, which switch is assigned to an occupation type for which the passenger airbag must not be activated, and that a control unit is present which deactivates the passenger airbag if the switch is in said switching position, and that means are provided which, after starting the motor, prevent the vehicle from moving if the switch was not activated. In order to rule out forgetting of a switch actuation, it is ensured that the vehicle can only be made to move when the switch has been activated. DE 44 10 402 A1 discloses a hand switch with which the airbag of a seat can be switched on and off.
It is additionally also known to monitor an occupant area using a plurality of camera modules, and to trigger the airbag module in dependence of a position of the occupant. However, such occupant safety systems are complicated to manage and relatively expensive to produce because of the many individual components, in particular because of the plurality of camera modules.